Reimagined Earth concept
The Reimagined Earth concept is a concept that Gloriana is not an 'alternate earth' but rather our same earth but 'reimagined' and loosely based on Historical earth. In this concept it's simply more of an 'alternate history' and past of our current world. One that ultimately leads into the 'present' and Dr. Brain series. See Cosmology of Quest for Glory. It is an idea suggested in Quest for Glory 4, and occasionally throughout the rest of series. Background In one backstories for Gloriana, it is not a parallel version of Earth, but simply an alternative version of Earth's past history. Fantastical Magic and Science co-existed in Earth's past. Some animals like dinosaurs survived mass extinction and live alongside humans, and an event called The Change caused some animal species to evolve or transform into sentient humanoid races. Corey Cole has said that: "Quest for Glory games are a fantasy reimagining of Earth rather than a parallel world. Gloriana is the name we used for this alternate Earth in our tabletop role-playing games and in some auxiliary materials for Quest for Glory. We also had a parallel world (accessible through spells and magical portals) named "Corianne" after our names. That one actually saw more tabletop gaming and is definitely *not* an Earth-cognate world."Corey ColeApril 8, 2018 at 1:34 PM "Loosely based on" Earth is fairly accurate. Country locations match Earth countries - for example, "East Fricana" is East Africa, roughly Kenya, and we drew from languages and cultures in each area. Beyond that, the games are fantasy - made-up Kingdoms and tribes, Heroes having disproportionate influence over events, magic, and monsters. Time periods are also ambiguous. So I'd say Quest for Glory games are a fantasy reimagining of Earth rather than a parallel world. Gloriana is the name we used for this alternate Earth in our tabletop role-playing games and in some auxiliary materials for Quest for Glory. We also had a parallel world (accessible through spells and magical portals) named "Corianne" after our names. That one actually saw more tabletop gaming and is definitely *not* an Earth-cognate world. http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/2018/04/game-285-quest-for-glory-iii-wages-of.html In this idea Gloriana is an ancient earth past (or not so ancient, and only a few generations removed from the late 20th century) similar to the concept of Hyborian Age in Conan series, or the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ages in the Tolkien universe. Or at least concerns nations that co-exist with other historical earth nations either hidden or unknown to most of the world (see Harry Potter's concept of Hogwart's, the muggles, and the wizard's worlds), and similar to one of the cosmological concepts for the King's Quest series (Daventry being another name for the Earth in a period in the distant past). One example suggests that QFG1 takes place possibly far into the past, circa 8 zillion BC. Mount Everest is supposedly seen (it supposedly gets bigger), yet on the other hand the Hero is said to have thought about climbed Mr. Everest in the past, and how Zauberberg reminds him of the mountain. Of course there is the strange reference to Gondwanaland (a geographical supercontinent from about 200 million years ago, discussed in a strangely contemporary way in QFG5. Also dinosaurs are very much still alive and exist all over the world of Gloriana. In this world it seems Greece, and Ancient Rome, and Helena have already happened. But part of Rome's glory is still retained in the city of Nova Roma. But there is also a reference to the crusade in Tangiers (which occurred more or less in the 1400s). But its also confirmed in the future Dr. Cranium's great-great grandson will become the owner of the Castle of Dr. Brain and have a video game made about him by Sierra On-Line. Dr. Brain assuming the scientist didn't travel across from one world to another lived in a castle in the Sierra mountains near Coarsegold the site of the former headquarters of Sierra On-Line. One additional note about the Dr. Brain/Cranium connection its not merely a name drop (Sierra World injoke) in the game but also appears in the background description with official published Hintbook for QFG4. While Middle East nations share some similarities to historical Persia, and persons share names with 'historical' figures, their existence is inspired by Thousand and One Nights rather than clear historical interpretation. Thus they cannot be fully compared with Earth's history. It's not so much that Gloriana exists on the real world, but on a fantastical version of the real world, that ultimately evolves into a fantastical 'future' that is similar to 20th century present, but also with its own whimsical quirks. World War 1 occurs, but Lawrence of 'Arabia' may have ridden into some of his battles on Saurus. By the time of Dr. Brain more or less a mirror of the late 1980s and 1990s historical world similar to the Sierraverse world that Leisure Suit Larry or Police Quest takes place in (or what Peter Spear describes in the Leisure Suit Larry Bedside Companion as a kind of 'multiverse' where Sierra's games exist, in a kind of parody of the real world, including its own parodies of Sierra Studios). Whatever the case time and space is rather 'loose or fluid' in the Quest for Glory universe with characters knowing of events that are supposed to happen centuries in the world's future, events that seemingly happened already, even things from zillions and millions of years ago coexisting in the present (dinosaurs are still alive), and these all add up anachronisms that are not fully understood. In QFG1, 'electricity hasn't been invented yet' (but apparently toaster ovens, fans, and tv/monitors/computers haveQFG2 magic shop). It's implied it won't be invented for several generations, the Hero's great-great-great-great-grandson (who hasn't been born yet, will know how to use it), but by QFG4 its being used by Dr. Cranium, and the scientists in QFG5 are using it, and even gone as far as inventing monochrome computers (but have not invented 'VGA' yet). But they haven't yet invented flying machines (except maybe jet planes (mirage), and space ships), sub-sea-surface vehicles, or orbital artificial satellites (but have stations to land, dock, and launch them from). In QFG2 it is said that Bicarbonate of soda hasn't been invented yet. These (and other references to the 'future') are all the sort of references that seem to suggest that the narrator, and others see Earth of the present (c. 20th century) as their later 'future' at which some point as time progresses they become. Another way of looking at this is that in this interpretation Earth/Gloriana isn't so much as a co-existing parallel world, but an alternate past for the earth that modern humans currently inhabit (mass extinctions of dinosaurs, and other creatures will happen at a later date, and for the most part history ultimately self-correct itself into something closer to the real Earth, but not quite). That is to say there is no evidence that 'real Earth' coexists 'parallel' with Gloriana, but that Gloriana might be the real Earth in the Quest for Glory universe's 'alternate history' (and historical Earth as we know it never existed). It might also be that the predictions of the future/anachronisms within Quest for Glory lore, may represent the 'real history of the world', while modern history books (as we read in the real world) are the 'revisionist historians' take on the world (in denial of the magic and whimsy that once existed within the world, and trying to find serious explanation to things that are unexplainable in the non-linear nature of the world's history). In a sense merging real world and fictional world of Gloriana into one. Later Ideas Later ideas evolved into Force wave concept created for the How To Be A Hero series, and Convergence concept related to Hero-U, which introduced Glorianna/Gloriana as a parallel world to earth. References Category:Quest for Glory Category:Development Category:Cosmology Category:Development concepts Category:Developmental concepts